Italian luxo-cruiser takes on Mercedes, Jaguar, and Lexus

Forty years ago, Maserati introduced its first Quattroporte: a full-size, handbuilt, V-8-powered sedan that combined a high level of luxury with gran turismo road manners. Why change the formula now? Modena's exotic carmaker will go back to the premium-performance-sedan well when it introduces its all-new, fifth-generation Quattroporte at the Frankfurt auto show in September.

ItalDesign Giugiaro and Pininfarina both bid for the design job, with the latter getting the nod. And the Quattroporte's look is impressive: powerful, elegant, well proportioned, and embodying important familial styling cues. With an overall length of 198.9 inches atop a 120.6-inch wheelbase, this Maximum Maser is about the same size as a 745i.

Maserati flagship sedan shares family flavor with the Coupe, but it's all new and comes from a different Italian design house.

Power comes via a 395-horse (in U.S. spec) derivation of the 4.2-liter all-aluminum DOHC V-8 currently motivating the Spyder and Coupe. Transmission choices are yet to be announced, but plan on a six-speed manual and either the six-speed Cambiocorsa sequential manual gearbox or a conventional automatic, which is expected in this segment. Active damping, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, and fully independent suspension should all be standard.Inside, you'll find what the Italians do best: subtle wood and metal trim and lots of euphoric looking/feeling/smelling leather. The Q-porte likely won't pack as many electronic doodads as on that BMW or LS 430, but the company assures us that each buyer will have the opportunity to highly personalize the car via its Officine Maserati customization program. That means a wide variety of choices of colors, materials, fitted luggage, and locations to engrave your initials.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but we figure the Maserati Quattroporte to cost $95,000-$100,000, depending on options, when it shows up here early next year. It'll enter a competitive marketplace by doing so, as the Jaguar XJ, Audi A8, and Volkswagen Phaeton are all new, while players like the Mercedes S-Class and Lexus LS remain strong. The Quattroporte, however, will be a much rarer piece--one with style to spare.